A gas turbine engine generally includes a fan and a core arranged in flow communication with one another. Additionally, the core of the gas turbine engine general includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air is provided from the fan to an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel is mixed with the compressed air and burned within the combustion section to provide combustion gases. The combustion gases are routed from the combustion section to the turbine section. The flow of combustion gasses through the turbine section drives the turbine section and is then routed through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere.
Within the turbine section, one or more stages of turbine nozzles, including stationary guide vanes, stator vanes, etc., are provided to direct the flow of combustion gasses therethrough. Each stage of turbine nozzles is formed of a plurality of circumferentially spaced turbine nozzle sections, each section including a radially inner and outer endwalls defining in part a flowpath through the turbine section. In order to maintain a temperature of the material forming the endwalls within a desired temperature range, the endwall generally includes one or more thermal management features. For example, the endwall typically includes a plurality of cooling holes extending therethrough.
When the endwalls include a plurality of cooling holes, the endwalls are typically formed thicker than would otherwise be necessary to structurally accommodate the plurality of cooling holes. However, the inventor of the present disclosure has discovered that such may add additional weight to the stage of turbine nozzles and the gas turbine engine in general. Accordingly, a wall for a component capable of structurally accommodating the various thermal management features without adding unnecessary weight would be useful. For example, an endwall for a nozzle section of a stage of turbine nozzles capable of structurally accommodating various thermal management features without adding unnecessary weight would be particularly beneficial.